After sustaining exterior siding damage to a residence or a commercial building, a client typically files a claim with their insurance company. The insurance company then assigns an agent to investigate the claims to determine the extent of damage and to provide the client with appropriate compensation. Agents have had long-standing difficulties identifying the dimensions of the damaged exterior siding, which often results in repair delays and/or unnecessary expenses. For example, if the dimensions of damaged siding are misidentified, incorrectly ordered (and sometimes installed) replacement siding may not match the size of the existing siding to the satisfaction of the client. In this case, the contractor may need to return the replacement siding, reattempt identification of the damaged siding, and install (or reinstall) new replacement siding.
Correctly identifying siding dimensions can be an arduous process. Generally, an agent typically locates and removes a section of damaged siding from the building similar to the damaged siding to obtain a physical sample. The agent may need to take multiple measurements of the sample to sufficiently identify a type and manufacturer for a potential replacement. Using these measurements, the agent tries to identify a given style of siding (e.g., Dutchlap, clapboard, board and batten, etc.) by a measured face and profile size. This process requires the agent to travel to the site with measurement and/or siding removal tools. Furthermore, training is required for the agent to learn different styles of siding and how to properly recognize and measure the different types of faces and/or profiles for each style. Even when the dimensions of the siding are properly measured, properly identifying an available replacement siding product that best matches the dimensions of the sample is a significant problem.